Never A Better Day
by GoldCleaver
Summary: Canada, once again being left nearly alone on his birthday, is hoping to make the best of things, while unaware of the scheming of his family to make this Canada Day the best in a very long time. Rated T for to be safe, human and nation names used, CanUkr is the only really obvious ship, I guess.


**So, hello everyone out there in _H_ _etalia_ land ^^ This is my first _Hetalia_ fanfic, and finally decided to publish it in time for Canada Day xD I hope you enjoy ^^ Happy Matthew Day! :)**

 **Warnings: swearing, mentions of alcohol, stereotypes of nations and land masses, and at that sort of thing xD**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own _Hetalia;_ if I did, it would have a lot more shameless shipping XD And the province OCs don't belong to me either; they belong to ctcsherry and the iammathewian project/Project Canada.**

…^…

 _June 30th_

"It's all right, Lukas. I understand. I'll be sure to see you and the other Nordics at Alfred's party on the fourth then? All right. Bye."

As he hung up from his conversation with Norway, Canada sighed. This was the latest in a series of polite declinations to his "quiet birthday get-together". It never really had achieved the title of "party".

It wasn't really completely surprising that people weren't coming. Having your birthday so close to his infinitely more noticeable brother's didn't help with being an "invisible" nation. Still, his close friends all canceling at the last minute? And the maple lover didn't have that many people he was truly close to. Besides his family, there was Cuba, Prussia, and Netherlands. And Ukraine. Especially Ukraine.

Canada smiled at the thought of his sweet Slavic girlfriend. _At least Kat is still coming,_ he thought to himself as he stashed his Blackberry in his pocket and got up from his armchair in the living room of his Ottawa residence.

 _Katyusha still coming is one of the few good things happening this week._ Indeed, first he had found out an emergency G8 meeting in New York City was to be hosted during his birthday, then all his provinces and territories had come to him saying they wanted to celebrate Canada Day separately, and finally his family appeared to have forgot (no real surprise). Now, his friends were all canceling at the last minute (Netherlands and Cuba both had mountains of paper work from irrate bosses, and Prussia, who suffered disadvantages from not being a nation anymore, couldn't get a single flight in). The maple lover had even called his venting buddy Romano (had to look after a certain ill Spaniard) and his "cousins", the Nordics (a variety of reasons). Needless to say, it had been a tough week.

However, Canada was willing to make the most of it. He was boycotting the G8 meeting (no one would really notice he was missing, anyway), and him and Ukraine were going to spend the day among his people at the Canada Day festivities in town.

 _Even if it's not what I had hoped, I think it still will be a pretty decent birthday,_ the Canadian thought to himself. Making his way to the kitchen, he stepped over a sleeping Kumajiro. _Maybe Mr. Kumanopa will even remember my name tomorrow,_ he thought as he got down a bag of ketchup chips as a snack. The northern nation smiled to himself as he munched on them, walking back to the living room. Ukraine would be arriving here later this evening, and the initial disappointment of no one else showing up was going away.

 _Maybe tomorrow would be so bad after all._

…^…

 _Meanwhile, at America's New York residence…_

"Okay, dudes, is everyone here?"

"Ve~ I'm here! I'm here!"

" _Ja*,_ I am present."

"The great nation of Sealand is here!"

"Bloody hell! Why did you have to bring _him_?!"

"H' watches too m'ch TV at h'me. Th'ght th's w'ld be a g'd d'stract'n."

"Everyone is here, Alfred-san; we can start now."

"All right. So, dudes, I've gathered you here today to help me throw together the most kick-ass birthday party ever for my bro Mattie. Iggy is now going to tell you guys the rest of the plan."

"Birthday parties were invented in Korea, da-ze!"

"Don't call me Iggy, wanker!"

"Be quiet, Yong Soo! Other people need to speak, aru!"

"All right, did your cancelations all go according to plan?"

"So unawesome of you to have me let Birdy down like that, Eyebrows. The awesome me does not approve!"

"I'll take that as a yes. And Matthew's boss agreed to tell him about an emergency G8 meeting being hosted in New York. Now, today we'll continue planning with our fellow conspirator once he arrives, the Province of Ontario, who along with the other provinces and territories has taken care of supplies and such for the celebration."

" _Mon Dieu*!_ You put the _provinces_ in charge of something together, Arthur?! They bicker almost as bad as we nations do!"

"It's their national holiday and their supervisor's birthday! I'm sure they can cooperate for a few hours. Anyway, once Matthew and Katyusha leave his house for the day, we can put our plan into action."

…^…

 _The next day…_

The morning of his birthday, the nation of Canada woke up to sunlight streaming through the windows, the smell of cooking pancakes in the air, and his girlfriend's quiet singing in her native language from downstairs.

Blinking, the maple lover opened his eyes, grabbed his glasses off the nightstand, and put them on to find Kumajiro sitting on his chest, watching him.

"Good morning, Kumajaja," greeted the Canadian.

The small polar bear licked his cheek. "Happy birthday, whats-your-name," he answered.

Canada smiled. Even if Kumajiro didn't know who he was half the time, he still cared about the nation who looked after him. "Thanks, Kumamachu." With that, he picked up the bear and followed the delicious aroma of cooking food.

As the maple lover entered the kitchen, Ukraine looked up from her spot in front of the stove, wearing one of her boyfriend's hockey t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. "Good morning, Matvey*," sang the busty nation, smiling. Canada walked over and gave her a peck on the cheek and a one-armed hug. "Happy birthday," she murmured in his ear.

 _"Merci*,_ Kat," he replied, smiling contentedly.

Kumajiro squirmed in his owner's arms. "Hungry!" he whined.

The two nations laughed. "Don't worry, vedmedyk*; the pancakes are almost ready," Ukraine told the bear as she scratched his ears.

Once breakfast was served (pancakes and canned salmon with maple syrup for Kuma, bacon and maple-smothered pancakes for the nations) and eaten (Kuma wolfed his food down and ended up going to mooch from the nations' plates), and everyone was ready for the day (red t-shirts, white shorts, and sandals for both nations, a big sun hat for Ukraine, a maple leaf-print bandana for Kumajiro, and sunscreen for all) the trio went outside, got inside the Canadian's car, and drove off to celebrate 147 years of being a country with the rest of the city.

…^…

 _Meanwhile, behind Canada's shed in his backyard…_

"Move over, Frenchie! You're crowding me!" Ontario whispered furiously, elbowing the already-irrate Quebecois crouching to his left.

" _T*bernac*!_ I've back enough of you _stupide Anglais*!_ " Quebec ground out with equal ferocity.

British Columbia, who was sitting behind them, looked up from her _Advanced Weed_ book and rolled her eyes at the two eastern provinces. "You guys, can you stop arguing for two minutes and watch the road for the nations, please?" she inquired, slightly annoyed. The self-proclaimed beautiful province huffed. "I'd still like to know who's bright idea it was to group the divorcees together," she muttered as she went back to her book.

"Well, it's not as if I want to be with this cranky poutine-eater," argued Ontario.

" _Attention*!_ They're here!" exclaimed Quebec, who had decided to back to watching the road.

Pulling into the driveway were the two buses Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories had rented to pick up the nations from America's place (they didn't trust anyone to remember driving directions) and Alberta and Nova Scotia's trucks full of food and other supplies.

"Finally! It took them long enough!" the Ontarian complained.

B.C. nodded. "I was kind of worried that they didn't get Ben and Nanook's phone call to come in," she commented, referring to the Newfoundlander and Nunavummiuq* on the other side of the house.

Soon, after Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick had unloaded the trucks, the nations (in varying states of alertness and mood) and other provinces and territories were gathered around the pile of supplies.

"Okay, dudes, let's get this show on the road!" shouted America, standing on an upturned box in his "hero pose".

"I'll start on the food," declared England, grabbing some grocery bags.

" _Mon Dieu, non*!_ Come, Feli! We must take the kitchen before _mon Angleterre*_ gets there!" With that, France grabbed Italy and ran off towards the house, with Ontario running after them with the spare house key.

"Wait up!" the jersey-clad province exclaimed, waving the key in the air.

"Stay away from _mi fratello*_ , wine bastard!" Romano shouted, running after the Frenchman and his brother, with Spain trailing after him. Belgium was close behind, muttering something about getting "Canada's secret pancake recipe". Meanwhile, Switzerland and Liechtenstein were asking B.C. if they could help with making Nanaimo bars, China and Russia were scheming on how they could incorporate Hong Kong's birthday celebration without the teen noticing, and Quebec was fending off America's "epic" poutine suggestions.

Germany surveyed the scene and sighed. _It will be a_ Gott*- _granted miracle if we succeed,_ he thought as he picked up a box of Hong Kong's special fireworks, praying that no one would be killed or maimed before noon.

…^…

 _Around 4:00 pm that day…_

"Oh Matvey, that was great!"

Canada smiled at his happy girlfriend, who was now sporting a henna tattoo on her hand and a painted maple leaf on each side of her face. He had a matching leaf adorning his cheek. The backseat of the car was stuffed with prize stuffed animals and a snoozing Kumajiro. Though they were tired from all the walking around, it had been a thoroughly fantastic day.

As they were turning down Canada's street, Ukraine turned to her North American boyfriend. "Matvey, did you enjoy today?" she inquired, a slightly worried expression on her face. "I mean, I know you're disappointed that your family and the others aren't here and…" she trailed off.

"Kat," the maple lover began, a light blush starting to paint his features, "this might sound cheesy and cliché, but there could be a torrential hurricane on Canada Day and all my citizens not wanting to celebrate it, but as long as you were there with me, it would still be entirely worth it." He reached over and took her hand. "Today, Kat…today was fantastic."

Ukraine smiled, a few happy tears leaking from her eyes. "Oh, Matvey, I'm so glad to have you," she murmured.

"Me, too, Kat," Canada responded, squeezing her hand. "Now, what do you want for supper? I have a few good-quality steaks in the freezer from Alberta…"

…^…

 _Inside the house…_

"Aiyah! They're back, aru! Everyone hide!"

"Norge*! Come hide with me behind the sofa! _"_

"Get off me, idiot."

"Come on, Labrador. We can hide under the table with Mr. Feliks and Mr. Toris.

" _Woof!"_

"Hurry up, everybody! Matthew-san and Katyusha-san are walking up the steps!"

…^…

 _Back outside…_

"How do you think the steaks would taste if we marinated them in maple?"

"Mmmm! That would be really sweet!"

At the top of the steps, Canada fished his keys out from his pocket, only to find out the door was already unlocked.

"Hmm. I was sure I'd locked it this morning," he commented, walking inside, his girlfriend a now-awake Kumajiro following.

"Are you sure?" Ukraine asked as they walked towards the living room to get to the kitchen.

"Yeah, I-"

"SURPRISE!"

"HAPPY CANADA DAY!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATTHEW!"

Canada's jaw dropped.

His family, friends, and almost all his other nation acquaintances had all popped out from various hiding spots in his living room. America, England, and France were there, as were Prussia with Germany and Italy, Netherlands and his siblings, Cuba, the Nordics, Romano and Spain, and others like Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the Baltics, China and his siblings, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland…pretty much everybody. Even micronations such as Sealand, Kugelmugel, and Wy were there, and all his provinces and territories were present.

Everybody was there, and they were all wishing him a happy birthday.

"G-guys? What's all this?" the shocked Canadian whispered.

"Happy Birthday, Matvey," laughed Ukraine. She was beaming. "You don't know how hard it was it was not to tell you about this at all."

The maple lover was utterly speechless. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. _They…they remembered me?_ he thought, astounded.

"Dude, why are you crying?!" exclaimed America, sounding worried.

Canada touched his cheek, his fingers coming back wet. He hadn't realized he was crying.

" _Desolé*._ I just-you…you guys remembered me?"

A slightly guilty look flashed across the burger-loving nation's face. "Mattie, you're my bro, and whenever I realize just how much I don't notice you, it makes me feel like the biggest asshole in the history of bad brothers."

"Indeed, lad," added England, coming over to stand by Canada, "I always feel like quite a failure as a father when I realize how much I forget one of my sons."

France came and stood beside England. " _Oui. Je suis tres desolé, Mathieu, mon fils*,"_ the Frenchman apologized, resting a hand on his maple-loving son's shoulder.

"So we decided to do something for you to show that we care," America continued. "We gathered up pretty much everybody to pitch in, and it sort of came together into a super-epic surprise party."

"Your provinces and territories were most helpful as well," England stated as he gestured to said personifications.

"Well, it was mostly me who did all the work," bragged Ontario, standing a bit straighter.

"AHEM?!" went the rest of the Canadians, glaring at the jersey-clad province.

"Okay, okay, it was a joint effort!" he grumpily admitted.

"The point is, Birdy," Prussia began, moving up from his spot by Switzerland, "we decided to throw the most awesome party in history for the pretty awesome you. You deserve it," he finished, beaming.

A huge grin split Canada's face. "Oh, you guys!" he exclaimed. This was really turning into possibly the best birthday ever.

"Now, let's get this party started!" shouted Prussia.

The party was a huge hit. With a nearly-unlimited supply of Canadian pizza (courtesy of the Italy brothers), a build-your-own poutine table (put together by Quebec and New Brunswick), Nanaimo bars (made by B.C., Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Belgium), and ice cream (provided by Cuba and America), nobody went hungry. And certainly none of the "of-age" personifications were sober with the cases of Molson Canadian and Alexander Keith's beer that Alberta and Nova Scotia had brought.

Somewhere between eating and drinking, Russia lightly tapped the coffee table with his water pipe, getting everyone's attention.

"Can I have your attention for a few minutes, aru?" asked China, standing by the northern nation. Canada was also standing beside them.

Canada began. "First of all, I really want to thank you all for doing this. This really is one of the best birthdays I've ever had," he stated, smiling. "Second, I also bring some attention to someone else who is celebrating." The Canadian toasted his can of beer in Hong Kong's direction, who was standing with Taiwan, New Zealand, and Iceland. "Happy birthday, Leon!"

The Cantonese teen was rather surprised. He had been expecting to celebrate his birthday quietly with his family later, back home.

Everyone turned and toasted to Hong Kong. "Happy birthday!" they all shouted.

Hong Kong gave a rare, happy smile. "Thanks everyone," he said quietly, blushing at the the attention. With that, the party continued.

With the wide range of Canadian music, from Great Big Sea to Classified, blasting from the sound system, it wasn't long before all the sofas and chairs were moved and the nations, micronations, and provinces and territories began to dance. America especially thought it was worth it to see his brother's embarrassed face as Justin Bieber's "Baby" came on, even if he ended up with a large bump on his head courtesy of Canada's hockey stick. And if Ontario ended up being Quebec's willing shoulder to cry on when Celine Dion's voice came from the speakers, no one needed to know.

At around 11:00 pm, the party goers headed outside to the backyard and watched a glorious firework display Hong Kong had put together. Everyone especially liked the ones shaped like maple leaves and roaring polar bears.

As Canada looked up ar the night sky, watching it explode with colour, one arm around Ukraine and the other around America, he thanked whoever was watching over this earth for this day; it really could not be better.

 _End_

 _Translations:_

 _Ja -_ Yes (German)

 _Mon Dieu_ \- My God (French)

 _Merci -_ Thank you (French)

Vedmedyk - little bear (Ukrainian)

 _T*bernac -_ French-Canadian swear word

 _Stupide Anglais -_ Stupid English (French)

 _Attention -_ Warning (French)

Nunavummiuq - denomym for person from Nunavut, singular (Inuit)

 _Mon Dieu, non -_ My god, no (French)

 _Mon Anglaterre -_ My England

 _Mi fratello -_ My brother (Italian)

Gott - God (German)

Norge - Norway (Danish)

 _Desolé -_ Sorry (French)

 _Oui. Je suis tres desolé, Mathieu, mon fils -_ Yes. I'm very sorry, Matthew, my son (French)

* * *

 **So, there you have it, basically my take on the whole "Surprise, we remembered your birthday, Matthew :D" idea thing. I hope it wasn't too cheesy and such xD Please review! Oh, if any translations are wrong, please tell me!**


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